I have carried around a notebook for some time now, but the linear format of notebooks has never really suited me. Let’s say I’m out and about – here’s a scenario that may occur if I’m carrying around a notebook:
- I think to myself, “Cock Robin’s self-titled release is really excellent,” after much searching, I write down Cock Robin: Cock Robin on the page that has the list “Top Ten Most Underappreciated Albums of the Eighties.”
- A little later I think to myself “I really need to get some fresh baking soda for my SinusRinse,” then I flip to the page that has “Things to Buy if I Ever Go Grocery Shopping Again.”
- Then I envision a feature for a MySpace-killing web application, so I write it down on the “MySpace-killer” page – but there is no “MySpace-killer” page, and I’ve already written “MySpace-killer” on the “Pie in the Sky” page along with some other features, and I’m running out of room on that page…
…it just doesn’t work for me. Even this scenario is idealistic because it assumes:
- I have the presence of mind to immediately recognize what category each of my thoughts belongs to (I don’t always)
- I have the discipline to actually keep dedicated pages for all of these categories (not a chance)
- I have the right notebook, which contains the page in question (I have several strewn about)
- I have a notebook with me at all (even a 3×5 is a bit large to carry around)
I’ve seen that there are many variations of the Hipster PDA, which sort of takes care of some minor linearity issues. But a 3×5 is usually too big for the one or two thoughts belonging to one category that I have at any given moment, still carries the linearity issues of assumptions 1 and 3, and is cumbersome as seen in assumption 4. Even the Hipster Mini is too big for my tastes.
I call my solution the Hipster PDA Keychain, and it’s construction is very simple:
- Take a stack of 3×5 cards, and cut them in fourths with scissors or a utility knife, until you have a stack of 1.5×2.5 cards about 1/4″ thick
- Bind the stack of cards together with a 3/4″ binder clip
- Loop the eye of one of the binder clip handles onto your keychain
Now when I have a thought, I can jot it down on one of the cards and be on my way, then I can sort out the cards and assign them to my BaseCamp todo lists when I get back to home base. For very large projects that are just a collection of ideas, I can just sort the appropriate cards to project-dedicated Hipster PDA Keychain, which despite the name, is still handy to have at one’s desk.
Yes, I have considered just putting a ring through the cards a la the Pierced Edition, but while the binder-clip solution still holds the danger of your cards falling all over the place, it does offer the convenience of easy re-sorting of cards, easy refreshing of cards that have spent too much time on your keychain, and less wear and tear on the cards themselves.
Obviously, the Hipster PDA Keychain can be well-supplemented by the Cross Ion Keychain pen.
Read these posts next!
- LifeBeans: Jelly Beans for Keeping Your Resolutions
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- Eight Life Hacks for Creative Thinking
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brett said,
January 9, 2006 @ 12:15 pm
I have been using the 3/4″ binder as a money clip for some time now. Your idea is also an excellent application – both are simple, yet effective!
katie said,
January 11, 2006 @ 1:40 pm
like we talked about on new year’s, the hipster PDA keychain could be vastly improved by putting it on one of those rings that you can snap open and closed. as it is right now, you’re likely to lose all of your important notes if you happen to use it during a particularly strong gust of wind.
i’m just saying.
fling93 said,
January 11, 2006 @ 7:05 pm
I just don’t get this whole backlash against Palms. The ability to back-up and sync (so you can copy content to e-mails and whatnot) is pretty useful. And Note Pad works well enough if you really need to hand-write or sketch something.
Smithberg said,
January 12, 2006 @ 9:59 am
Dave,
You’re such a nerd!
lauren said,
January 12, 2006 @ 7:06 pm
i agree with katie on this one.
ps. stop using sinus rinse. you are ADDICTED.
Joao Craveiro said,
February 27, 2006 @ 2:24 pm
Sorry for this horrible self-promotion, but pingback had no effect and I didn’t find a trackback URL:
http://weblog.jcraveiro.com/artigos/porta-chaves-hipster-pda/
And thanks for the tip — I am currently experimenting it.
FullContactGEEK said,
February 28, 2006 @ 10:37 pm
The PDA backlash is really an indicator that everyone’s brains are not all wired the same way. I am well aware of the usefulness of electronic PDAs but they just don’t work as well for me as pen and paper. As soon as I realized that, my productivity improved. It’s that simple.
Likewise, binder clips don’t work for me either, so I use a binder ring. It works perfectly well on a key ring and has the advantage of being able to retain all your notes while flipping through them.
Aaron Uballe said,
March 9, 2006 @ 10:42 pm
I like this idea a lot, the only variation I’m going to make is to use scrap business cards instead of cutting down index cards. I just recently changed jobs and took a stack of business cards to use as notepaper. One disadvantage I suppose, single sided.
John Norris said,
March 17, 2006 @ 10:40 am
Just flew in from the 43 Folders link.
I’ve been trying out the keychain idea as well. I use the little clips, and some cut up pop bottle plastic for covers. (Keeps the pages less frayed) Mine are 1″ x 2″, about the size of my car alarm fob.
I’ll be putting up some templates for them in a bit…will post back when I do (if that’s OK.)
Top 4 Tools All Writers Need | Wild Typing said,
January 5, 2009 @ 12:53 pm
[...] take on the road with you. This can be simple, such as a (paper) notebook, BlackBerry, or a ‘hipster PDA keychain‘ (pictured [...]
Adam said,
March 4, 2009 @ 10:26 am
Whoa, love this. Don’t know how I’d never seen it before. Posting to Lifehacker today.
kadavy said,
March 4, 2009 @ 11:30 am
Well, I sent it to you guys, I’m sure, @Adam! I hope you’re serious – Lifehacker is my favorite site to get traffic from
Ryan said,
March 4, 2009 @ 4:02 pm
This is totally going to change my life. Thank you.
Craftershock said,
March 25, 2009 @ 8:49 am
We’ve got something similar over at Craftershock.com called Keynotes which are tiny keychain notebooks.